{"id":6900,"date":"2017-02-22T22:36:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T03:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=6900"},"modified":"2017-02-26T23:07:52","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T04:07:52","slug":"detroit-red-wings-future-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/02\/22\/detroit-red-wings-future-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Red Wings Future Safe With Young Players"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Red Wings future is in jeopardy. The team is having a tough 2016-17 season. Special teams struggles and woes on the blueline have forced them into the basement of the Eastern Conference. They are about to miss their first postseason in 25 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the problems with making the playoffs every year is getting stuck with a mid-first round draft pick. The Red Wings haven\u2019t had a top-ten draft pick since they took <\/span>Martin Lapointe<\/a><\/b>\u00a010th overall back in 1991. Since then, their mid-to-late first round drafting has been good enough to keep them competitive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit Red Wings Future Safe With Young Players<\/h2>\n

The Kids Are Alright<\/h3>\n

Their latest batch of young drafted talent has slowly crept onto the team the last couple of years. Last season, <\/span>Dylan Larkin<\/a><\/b> became the first teenager to don the Winged Wheel in a regular season game in fifteen years. He went on to lead the team in goals and came third in points behind <\/span>Henrik Zetterberg<\/a> <\/b>and <\/span>Pavel Datsyuk<\/a><\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n

This season, <\/span>Andreas Athanasiou<\/a><\/b> and <\/span>Anthony Mantha<\/a><\/b> have fought for and won their roster spots.\u00a0<\/span>At 22 and 20 years old respectively, these\u00a0three are proving to be smart, talented hockey players. They give the Red Wings a core to build their forward unit around. They have been the silver lining to the Red Wings awful 2016-17 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lark-Ness Monster<\/h3>\n

Last year, Larkin took the league by storm. He caught everyone off guard with his unbelievable speed and keen eye for the net. As\u00a0the Red Wings representative at the All-Star Game, Larkin broke the 20-year-old fastest skater record, a title which he still owns. He led the team in goals, with 23, and recorded 45 points in 80 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

This season, Larkin is having a bit of a sophomore slump. He\u2019s only scored 12 goals and 19 points in 58 games. That puts him on pace for 17 goals and 28 points. His 7.72 shots per 60 minutes is down from 9.76. It\u2019s a big regression from his performance last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

The book is out on Larkin and he has been unable to adapt. He moves very quickly with the puck and defenders have learned to cut off his lane to the net, forcing Larkin to circle the zone until he\u2019s forced to pass the puck. Nothing goes towards the net, which is evident by his 13.65 iCF\/60 (down from 17.3 last year).<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to this, Larkin has lost the privilege of playing on the top line with Zetterberg every night. The captain leads the team in points and noticeably makes his linemates better. In addition to this, at 20\u00a0years old, Larkin is still learning how to jump the mental hurdles of adversity. He\u2019s played at the international level and in junior, but this is the first time in his career that Larkin is dealing with loss at such a huge and visible level. Poor attitude and low morale are very contagious, and Larkin is navigating these waters through the Red Wings poor 2016-17 showing. <\/span><\/p>\n

At least he\u2019s got his friends to go through it with. As they say, misery loves company. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Hardest Name In Hockey<\/h3>\n

Ah-tha-nah-sou? At-han-ah-see-you? Ath-anna-see-ou?<\/span><\/i> No matter how you say it, Athanasiou is one of the most electrifying players on the Red Wings roster. His blistering speed and smooth hands have taken many opposition defensemen and goalies by surprise. <\/span><\/p>\n

He had a hard time cracking the Red Wings roster, starting the season as a healthy scratch and then receiving very sheltered minutes. But after being scratched on January 7th, Athanasiou has exploded offensively, and showed that he deserves to be on this team and in the NHL.<\/span><\/p>\n